By Athene Seyler, Stephen Haggard
“a paintings at the paintings and craft of comedy as vital in its personal method as works via Stanislavski and Chekhov” — Oxford Theatre Companion
In 1939, a tender, green actor wrote to a recognized actress of his acquaintance, soliciting for recommendation on enjoying comedy. She answered enthusiastically, and so they corresponded variously over the subsequent yr. The Craft of Comedy, a checklist of those exchanges, quickly emerged as one of many few vintage texts within the box of comedy acting.
This significant new version takes a super booklet and makes it larger. Editor Robert Barton has devised huge supplementary fabric, including:
- An creation to the correspondents, the tradition of the time, and the evolution in their book;
- Summaries, definitions, and routines and perform scenes for readers wishing to discover Athene Seyler’s priceless advice;
- Photographs, extra essays through Seyler, and a consultant to simply accessed videos of her performing.
Seyler’s lucid tips, and Barton’s scrupulous editorship, verify this mythical work’s rightful prestige is restored: as one of many nice useful publications to the craft of comedy, and a vital source for actors and scholars of appearing.
Read Online or Download The Craft of Comedy: The 21st Century Edition PDF
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Additional resources for The Craft of Comedy: The 21st Century Edition
Carmichael in Plus Fours, Haymarket Theatre, 1923 Plate three Athene Seyler along with her daughter Jane Ann Jones (from a quick early marriage to James Bury Sterndale Bennett) by way of Bassano. © nationwide Portrait Gallery, London Plate four Nicholas Hannen and Athene Seyler, London c. 1952 (printed 2000) by way of David Moore, nationwide Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Seyler lived with Hannen from 1922 to his demise in 1972 (they married in 1960) Plate five Athene Seyler as Millie Williams within the movie The vulnerable and the depraved, 1954 Plate 6 Seyler because the Duchess of Berwick in girl Windermere’s Fan, Haymarket Theatre, 1945 Plate 7 cartoon of Seyler as Dame Beatrice Appleby in Breath of Spring, Gilbert Sommerlad. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1 DISTORTED fact Stephen Haggard writes to Athene Seyler June eight, 1939 and he or she replies on June 10. eighth June 1939 pricey Athene, now not some time past i've got a talk with you during which we mentioned comedy within the theatre and such a lot of its facets. a few days later I went to determine Schnitzler’s marriage ceremony Breakfast acted by means of the _____ financial institution novice Dramatic Society of which a pal of mine is a member. After the functionality I had a conversation with my good friend which galvanized this letter to you. My pal performed ‘Anatol’. i believe you'll agree that this is often an exceptionally tricky half for a tender Englishman to play. His functionality left much to be wanted. He lacked a feeling of comedy and performed relatively as though the marriage Breakfast have been a ‘straight’ play which in basic terms sometimes (and fairly reprehensively) lapsed into comedy. i may see 1000's of items incorrect together with his functionality. but if he requested me to assist him to enhance it for the second one (and final) evening i'm ashamed to assert that i used to be at a loss to aid him. If I had allowed myself to criticize him my feedback might were damaging in basic terms. i haven't the technical wisdom, nor the event of enjoying comedy, which might have enabled me to provide him anything confident within the approach of support. I hence stated little or no, till i noticed 23 DISTORTED fact that his real hope used to be now not quite a bit to enhance ‘Anatol’ for one functionality as to benefit approximately comedy – all types of comedy – simply because he desires to depart his financial institution and pass directly to the degree. My good friend appeared rather a lot in earnest approximately his goal that i've been brooding about even if you would spare the time to put in writing a number of letters with reference to comedy for his gain. conversing extra selfishly, i'm aware of my very own weak point in enjoying comedy and that i wish i could discover anything of the foundations which underlie it earlier than handing on our letters to my good friend, who identify incidentally, is a suitable one for a scholar, specifically William keen. I take into account your announcing as soon as that comedy is ‘distorted truth’. basic fact i believe i will realize – within the theatre at any price. yet the right way to distort it for comedic reasons – as to that i've got just a fairly hazy suggestion. William, i believe, has none in any respect. So won’t you please support my keen buddy to settle the issues which perplex him?